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Battlefield 2142: Northern Strike (PC)

• Developer:
• Publisher: EA
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• Official Website: http://battlefield.ea.com
• Score: 5 of 5: Purchase

EA and DICE have earned their share of derision in the past for their decision to sell mini-expansion packs, entitled ‘booster packs', for their popular Battlefield 2 series. Fans seemed to expect free maps and content from the series' designers and were less than pleased to find out that they would suddenly have to pay for what were essentially partial expansion packs. The main gripe appeared to revolve around the issue of value versus cost or the question of whether three maps (the norm for a booster pack) and extra weapons and unlockables were worth the $10 price-tag of these mini-expansions. In the case of their first booster pack for Battlefield 2142, ‘Northern Strike', the answer is a resounding ‘YES!'

Northern Strike provides the standard three new maps along with ten unlockables and medals and a new pin, as well as a new vehicle for each faction (the Pan-American Coalition (PAC) and the European Union (EU)). The new vehicles - a humongous battle-wagon called the "IFV Goliath" (EU only) and the slick, anti-vehicle hover-pod "IFV Hachimoto" (PAC only) - both add a bit of fresh blood to the swirling mix of battlefield ground combatants and are radically different from each other. The Hachimoto, utilizing uber-fast hover-tech, can scream from one end of the battlefield to the other in the blink of an eye but it still packs enough firepower to take out enemy vehicles with its small-bore energy cannon. Not to be outdone, the EU has created a nearly portable support base complete with multiple weapon arrays and insanely thick armor plating in the shape of its monstrous Goliath. Once one of these bad boys starts rolling, the PAC forces have to ramp up the opposition quickly or face being steamrolled by this doom-box of firepower.

DICE has included one new game mode in this booster pack - Conquest Assault Lines. Basically this is a merging of Unreal Tournament 2004's Onslaught mode (where you have to conquer specific bases in order before tackling the last base) and Battlefield's flag-capturing mechanism. Though EA trumpets the fact that this new mode brings players into more frequent and focused combat, in reality it didn't feel terribly different from vanilla Conquest mode. I will note, however, that matches using this new mode were fairly hectic affairs, so perhaps this new mode does ramp up the fighting at specific hot-points to some extent.

The real star of the show here are the 3 maps. Port Bavaria, once a cliff-side docking station for PAC Titans (BF2142's equivalent to Marvel Comics' SHIELD Heli-Carrier), is asymmetrical with a large flat plain for the EU attackers to cross and daunting cliffs preventing easy access to the top-side base flags. Attackers have to rely on the pod-launching capabilities of their APCs in order to breach the PAC base on high and begin capturing flags. Though this map comes in both Titan and (the new) Conquest Assault Lines modes, the action was more frantic and enjoyable in the Conquest Assault mode as the numerous buildings and the docking bays themselves foster awesome close-combat fire-fights. Unfortunately this map suffers from the dreaded ‘left-behind' hassle of larger maps or maps with specific movement obstacles: if you're not quick enough to nab a vehicles or join with some team-friendly fellow gamers, you'll find yourself hoofing it all the way up the cliffs (it's possible, though not easy or fun, to climb them) to join in the action. It's not a glaring problem but it's one small reason why this map was probably my least favorite.

The second - and better - map is Bridge at Remagen, and it recreates one of WW2's classic battles while offering both Titan and Conquest Assault Lines modes. The highlight of Remagen is the huge, partially broken bridge where the fiercest fighting erupts. There's a nice flow to this particular map and it seems that the developers took particular care to lay out excellent cover while never really making any one location too easy to defend. The Hachimoto in particular excels in this map, especially when it's properly manned by a single-minded 2-man crew. Snipers will enjoy Remagen's countless opportunities to introduce their enemy's cranium to a high-powered bullet, but this map is still primarily the bailiwick of the Support or Assault classes.

Liberation of Leipzig is easily the best map of the bunch and notably the best-looking Battlefield map I've ever seen as well. It's a striking night map highlighted by a dazzling deep blue color with only the occasional spotlight, streetlamp, or night star to break up the mesmerizing evening sky. It's full-on urban street combat broken up by excellent flag placement and terrain. A small, but not unappreciated feature is how soldiers emit puffs of steam as they run across the terrain in this map. A lesser PC may chug on this map if you have graphical features cranked to high and happen to land on a less-than-fast server, but for the most part it plays pretty smoothly. This map is the stomping ground of the EU's Goliath behemoth, which fares extremely well when supported by a strong squad of soldiers in narrow confines; the Hachimoto hover-pods are less effective due to broken terrain and the massive amount of cover in Leipzig's urban sprawl. Of the three maps, this is the only one that doesn't offer Titan mode.

For $10, this expansion is a steal, offering some of the best BF2142 maps yet. Any BF2142 fan worth his salt needs to grab this expansion and jump into combat; it was a slick experience from the download to the install and I've not experienced a single bug in the process. What are you waiting for, soldier?

Mar 19, 2007 | 0 comments
Tony DuLac